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About a month ago, when we should have been busy expanding our range, instead we took a week off and travelled up to Scotland, with the intent of smashing up a few whiskey distilleries. Here are a few photos from that trip.

If you can get past the annoying totally-out-of-place teenage girl narrator, then this Ritalin fuelled version of Lovecraftâ€™s mesmerising The Call of Cthulhu should be fairly entertaining. But if not, we reckon our Strange Aeons tee does a much better job and without all those teenage ‘likesâ€™…

Itâ€™s all change here at the-affair HQ. Weâ€™re busy putting the final touches on our new website, weâ€™ve just taken delivery of some designs from our new factory in Portugal and with some luck youâ€™ll all know about it by weekâ€™s end!

Thatâ€™s probably a little harsh, and not entirely accurate. Take one look at the threads above and youâ€™ll see sheâ€™s more of an artist really. And true to Picassoâ€™s central tenet that “good artists borrow, great artists steal”, Ms Eary has done some borrowing off of none other than yours truly it would seem.

So weâ€™d just like to take this opportunity to gently remind Ms Eary, and the JC Report, that basing menswear on ‘books books booksâ€™ is actually not a new idea and that weâ€™ve been doing it for the last 3 years.

Admittedly we live in the anti-haute couture world of the graphic tee, but theft is theft wherever it occurs, right batman? Anyway, Katie if youâ€™re out there, letâ€™s do it properly next time and collaborate :)

“For the purpose of appreciation and categorisation” is how the Book Cover Archive describes itself. And after a quick scan, we reckon that its a pretty damn accurate description, and we never complain about anything that does does what it says on the tin.

We often hear from customers that our designs would make great book covers. And although we donâ€™t disagree, it is worth noting that weâ€™re trying to do something different than simply re-create old covers. Instead of convincing you to buy a book, weâ€™re in the business of helping you to start conversations based on books and ideas that youâ€™re already invested in… You could also say weâ€™re the small-talk short circuit youâ€™ve always been looking for :)

Either way, seeing as though weâ€™re on topic, whatâ€™s your favourite book cover? Drop them in the comments below…

“Show me your t-shirts and Iâ€™ll tell you who you are. Todayâ€™s t-shirts are projection screens for styles, thoughts, and attitudes; they are wearable calling cards.”

We couldnâ€™t agree more, and are thrilled to have been included in the definitive guide to t-shirt culture, called Torso. Published by gestalten, it was compiled by Daniel Eckler, founder and editor-in-chief of Formatmag and one of our very first supporters.

Dangerous Dave gets interviewed for a Computer Arts article on making money on the side during the recession. Ha! If only it was that easy! Everyone in their right mind knows that you donâ€™t get into t-shirts for the money. We do it for the love baby :)

Anyway, they have some very nice words to say about us that weâ€™d like to share with you so you can tweet our mothers about it:

“Having launched just two years ago, The Affair has become an iconic producer of limited-edition T-shirts in super-quick time.”

â€śWe shall swim out to that brooding reef in the seaâ€¦ and in that lair of the Deep Ones we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory for ever.â€ť

The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H. P. Lovecraft, 1931

Lovecraft was a strange man, being both a racist as well as terrified of seafood. An unlikely combination of phobias that gave birth to this gem of weird fiction, warning of the horrors of race mixing with fish.

Even in these liberated times, it is difficult to know how to take this sort of advice. But weâ€™re down with the Deep Ones.

â€śYouâ€™re really not going to like it,â€ť observed Deep ThoughtLife, the Universe and Everything, Douglas Adams

Whether or not you crack jokes in Base 13, thereâ€™s no denying the sublime beauty in Adamsâ€™ Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

Wearing this print will not only geek the fashionistas at their own game, but will also guarantee inner peace at the bitter end. Or maybe not. But it will strike fear into the hearts of psychiatrists around the world, and you just never know when that might come in dead handy.

Experience the blood, the sweat and the beers as we start our t-shirt brand, the-affair. We're sure to make mistakes, learn harsh lessons and celebrate (small) victories. Follow the tears, the tantrums and the triumphs via our RSS feed. And if you've got any feedback on this tender coming of age story, write to us - service [at] the-affair [dot] com. the-affair / blog is proudly powered by WordPress.